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How to change or customize the alarm sound on your iPhone, and customize the way it vibrates

Laura McCamy   

How to change or customize the alarm sound on your iPhone, and customize the way it vibrates
Tech5 min read

FILE - This Sept. 12, 2018, file photo shows an Apple iPhone XR on display at the Steve Jobs Theater after an event to announce new products, in Cupertino, Calif. A Chinese national in Oregon sent hundreds of supposedly broken iPhones to Apple over two years, and got replacements under warranty of almost 1,500 devices. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Associated Press

Through your Clock app, you can easily change the alarm sound and vibration on your iPhone.

  • You can choose from several dozen alarm tones to use as the alarm sound on your iPhone.
  • You can also change the vibration pattern, or create a custom vibration pattern.
  • In Apple's Tone Store, you can buy custom ringtones. You can also use the music from your iTunes library for your alarm sounds.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When you set a new alarm on your iPhone, you can choose the sound that will play when the alarm goes off. The default alarm tone is Radar and the default vibration is Alert.

If you have multiple alarms set on your phone, you can choose a different sound for each one. You can set an alarm to vibrate only, have a sound only, or to vibrate and alert you through sound.

Here's how to change your iPhone's alarm sound and vibration.

How to change your alarm sound on an iPhone

1. Open the Clock app on your iPhone.

2. Tap the alarm icon at the bottom of your screen to edit your alarm sound.

3. Tap Edit at the top right of your screen, then tap the alarm you want to edit. This will open the Edit Alarm screen.

4. Tap the Sound option on the Edit Alarm screen.

change alarm sound on iphone

Laura McCamy/Business Insider

Tap the "Sound" tab on the Edit Alarm screen.

5. You'll drop into the next screen at the spot where your current alarm sound falls on the list. You can scroll up and down to see more options.

6. Tap the alarm sound you want. A sample will play for each tone. Tap "Classic" in the tone menu to see even more alarm sound options.

Standard tone choices

Laura McCamy/Business Insider

The iPhone offers many default alarm sound choices to pick from.

7. To turn off the alarm sound, scroll to the bottom of the Sound screen and choose "None."

8. When you are done, go back to the Edit Alarm screen and tap Save to save your changes.

How to add a custom alarm sound on an iPhone

You don't have to choose between Sencha, Crystals, Night Owl, or any of the other alarm tones that come with your iPhone. When you edit your alarm sound, you can download new tones.

1. Scroll to the top of the Sound menu in the Edit Sound menu of your Clock app pictured in the above section.

2. Tap Tone Store. This will take you to the iTunes Store app.

Top_of_the_Sound_screen_ _choose_Vibrate__Tone_Store__and_Song

Laura McCamy/Business Insider

Tap "Tone Store" to be redirected to the iTunes Store app.

3. Choose "Tones" from the menu. This navigates to a store where you can use your iTunes account to buy ringtones from a wide range of musical options. You can also choose alert tones of a favorite character's voice.

Tone store tones

Laura McCamy/Business Insider

There are thousands of songs and sounds available for use as alarm sounds.

4. If you've previously bought tones that aren't downloaded onto your current phone, tap "Download All Purchased Tones." Apple will check your account and download your tones.

You can also set your alarm to play a song from your iTunes library.

1. Scroll to the top of the Sound menu in the Edit Sound menu of your Clock app.

2. Under SONGS, tap "Pick a song." This will take you to your iTunes library.

3. Choose the song you want to use as an alarm tone. A list of songs you have previously chosen will appear above Pick a song. You can choose any of those with one tap.

If you have multiple alarms, you can set different songs or tones for each alarm.

How to change or customize your alarm vibration on an iPhone

You can also customize the way your phone vibrates for each alarm.

1. Scroll to the top of the Sound menu in the Edit Sound menu of your Clock app.

2. Tap Vibration to see a list of possible vibration patterns.

3. Tap the pattern you want. You will get a short sample of each vibration when you tap it.

Vibration choices

Laura McCamy/Business Insider

iPhones include a set of pre-made vibration patterns.

4. To turn off vibrate, scroll to the bottom of the Vibration screen and choose None.

You can also create a custom vibration.

1. Scroll to the top of the Sound menu in the Edit Sound menu of your Clock app.

2. Tap Vibration. Scroll down. Under CUSTOM, tap "Create New Vibration."

3. Tap, hold, and release the screen to create a vibration pattern. Your pattern is visualized in the bar at the bottom of the screen. Taps appear as dots. Longer vibrations, created by holding your finger down, are bars.

Custom vibration screen showing short and long vibration pattern

Laura McCamy/Business Insider

You'll have about ten seconds to record your new vibration pattern.

4. Choose "Play" to play back your custom vibration. Choose "Record" to delete it and record another.

5. When you tap "Save," a window will pop up that allows you to name your custom vibration. Type in the name and tap Save. Your saved custom vibrations will appear under CUSTOM in the Vibration menu.

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